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Summary of Statement No. 167

Amendments to FASB Interpretation No. 46(R)

Summary

Why Is the FASB Issuing This Statement and When Will It Be Effective?

The Board’s objective in issuing this Statement is to improve financial reporting by enterprises involved with variable interest entities. The Board undertook this project to address (1) the effects on certain provisions of FASB Interpretation No. 46 (revised December 2003), Consolidation of Variable Interest Entities, as a result of the elimination of the qualifying special-purpose entity concept in FASB Statement No. 166, Accounting for Transfers of Financial Assets, and (2) constituent concerns about the application of certain key provisions of Interpretation 46(R), including those in which the accounting and disclosures under the Interpretation do not always provide timely and useful information about an enterprise’s involvement in a variable interest entity.

This Statement shall be effective as of the beginning of each reporting entity’s first annual reporting period that begins after November 15, 2009, for interim periods within that first annual reporting period, and for interim and annual reporting periods thereafter. Earlier application is prohibited.

What Is the Scope of This Statement?

This Statement retains the scope of Interpretation 46(R) with the addition of entities previously considered qualifying special-purpose entities, as the concept of these entities was eliminated in Statement 166.

How Will This Statement Change Current Practice?

This Statement amends Interpretation 46(R) to require an enterprise to perform an analysis to determine whether the enterprise’s variable interest or interests give it a controlling financial interest in a variable interest entity. This analysis identifies the primary beneficiary of a variable interest entity as the enterprise that has both of the following characteristics:

The power to direct the activities of a variable interest entity that most significantly impact the entity’s economic performance

The obligation to absorb losses of the entity that could potentially be significant to the variable interest entity or the right to receive benefits from the entity that could potentially be significant to the variable interest entity.

Additionally, an enterprise is required to assess whether it has an implicit financial responsibility to ensure that a variable interest entity operates as designed when determining whether it has the power to direct the activities of the variable interest entity that most significantly impact the entity’s economic performance.

This Statement amends Interpretation 46(R) to require ongoing reassessments of whether an enterprise is the primary beneficiary of a variable interest entity. Before this Statement, Interpretation 46(R) required reconsideration of whether an enterprise is the primary beneficiary of a variable interest entity only when specific events occurred.

This Statement amends Interpretation 46(R) to eliminate the quantitative approach previously required for determining the primary beneficiary of a variable interest entity, which was based on determining which enterprise absorbs the majority of the entity’s expected losses, receives a majority of the entity’s expected residual returns, or both.

This Statement amends certain guidance in Interpretation 46(R) for determining whether an entity is a variable interest entity. It is possible that application of this revised guidance will change an enterprise’s assessment of which entities with which it is involved are variable interest entities.

This Statement amends Interpretation 46(R) to add an additional reconsideration event for determining whether an entity is a variable interest entity when any changes in facts and circumstances occur such that the holders of the equity investment at risk, as a group, lose the power from voting rights or similar rights of those investments to direct the activities of the entity that most significantly impact the entity’s economic performance.

Under Interpretation 46(R), a troubled debt restructuring as defined in paragraph 2 of FASB Statement No. 15, Accounting by Debtors and Creditors for Troubled Debt Restructurings, was not an event that required reconsideration of whether an entity is a variable interest entity and whether an enterprise is the primary beneficiary of a variable interest entity. This Statement eliminates that exception.

This Statement amends Interpretation 46(R) to require enhanced disclosures that will provide users of financial statements with more transparent information about an enterprise’s involvement in a variable interest entity. The enhanced disclosures are required for any enterprise that holds a variable interest in a variable interest entity. This Statement nullifies FASB Staff Position FAS 140-4 and FIN 46(R)-8, Disclosures by Public Entities (Enterprises) about Transfers of Financial Assets and Interests in Variable Interest Entities. However, the content of the enhanced disclosures required by this Statement is generally consistent with that previously required by the FSP.

How Will This Statement Improve Financial Reporting?

This Statement amends Interpretation 46(R) to replace the quantitative-based risks and rewards calculation for determining which enterprise, if any, has a controlling financial interest in a variable interest entity with an approach focused on identifying which enterprise has the power to direct the activities of a variable interest entity that most significantly impact the entity’s economic performance and (1) the obligation to absorb losses of the entity or (2) the right to receive benefits from the entity. An approach that is expected to be primarily qualitative will be more effective for identifying which enterprise has a controlling financial interest in a variable interest entity.

This Statement requires an additional reconsideration event when determining whether an entity is a variable interest entity when any changes in facts and circumstances occur such that the holders of the equity investment at risk, as a group, lose the power from voting rights or similar rights of those investments to direct the activities of the entity that most significantly impact the entity’s economic performance. It also requires ongoing assessments of whether an enterprise is the primary beneficiary of a variable interest entity. These requirements will provide more relevant and timely information to users of financial statements.

This Statement amends Interpretation 46(R) to require additional disclosures about an enterprise’s involvement in variable interest entities, which will enhance the information provided to users of financial statements.

What Is the Effect of This Statement on Convergence with International Financial Reporting Standards?

The International Accounting Standards Board (IASB) has a project on its agenda to reconsider its consolidation guidance. The IASB issued two related Exposure Drafts, Consolidation and Derecognition, in December 2008 and March 2009, respectively. The IASB project on consolidation is a broader reconsideration of all consolidation guidance (not just the guidance for variable interest entities).

Although this Statement was not developed as part of a joint project with the IASB, the FASB and IASB continue to work together to issue guidance that yields similar consolidation and disclosure results for special-purpose entities. The ultimate goal of both Boards is to provide timely, transparent information about interests in special-purpose entities. However, the timeline and anticipated effective date of the IASB project is different from the effective date of this Statement.

This Statement addresses the potential impacts on the provisions and application of Interpretation 46(R) as a result of the elimination of the qualifying special-purpose entity concept in Statement 166. Ultimately, the two Boards will seek to issue a converged standard that addresses consolidation of all entities.